In this paper, I interview 19 men to explore the ways they responds to and interpret pornographic films. Since the ’60s, quantitative researches in the paradigm of behavioralism and positivism have conducted a great deal of studies regarding the effects of pornography on audiences. These research are particularly concerned with the effects of rape and violence in pornography. They tend to draw a clear line between violence /non-violence pornography consists of violent contents and effects on viewers ’ cognition and behavior.
In the paper, I argue that the harm of pornography should be reconceptualized. Pornography constructs the images of and definition of female sexuality, rejecting the opinions of women from real life. I therefore conceptualize the harm of pornography as reinforcing male solipsism, excluding women from the position of sex object.
This paper consists of three parts. First I divide male viewers into four types:1. the conservative type, who dislike pornography; 2. the connoisseurs, who treat pornography as artistic materials to be appreciated; 3. the leisure type, who uses pornography to escape boredom; 4. the practical users, who use pornography for sexual arousal.
In the second part of this paper, I will describe the similarity of all male viewers. All of them are concerned with men’s pleasure of looking at women and have no interest in looking at men and being looked at (whether by men or by women). Finally, I discuss feminist critiques of pornography and men ’s reaction to these critiques.